After a good training block in Clermont, I headed over to Clearwater to meet Team Groff (Mom, Dad, Lauren, Clay, Adam, Mike, Beckett and Cooper, the dog) for the 70.3 World Championships. In the lead-up to the race, I was able to spend some time with my family and my sponsors and to scope out the course. Going into the race, I was feeling fairly confident about my fitness, as I had just come off my best training block of the year, but nervous about tackling an unfamiliar distance. Bobby and I did our best in preparing me for the race in the time that we had, but I had a pretty daunting task in trying to play "catch-up" for my lack of bike fitness going into the training block.
The conditions were pretty perfect for the race- sunny, calm and warm. Due to the chop, the race organizers had changed the swim venue to more protected waters and changed the start times, having the women begin 8 minutes before the men. I was a bit disappointed by the change in swim course, as a rougher swim benefits me and it would have been easier to break away. I lead out of the water with a line of women behind me (the swim exit was next to a pirate ship. Argh!). I have to admit that I was pretty overwhelmed by the WTC transition and floundered a bit with the concept of gear bags, people trying to peel my wetsuit off of me and trying to take my bike from me in T2!
Heading out onto the bike, I found myself exactly where I had hoped, settling into a comfortable pace in a group of women. When the tight pack of 30-40 men went by, however, the tone of my race changed drastically, however. Instead of letting the men pass, as I had assumed, the other girls tucked into the men's group and were out of sight before I could process what had happened. Needless to say, the officials didn't enforce drafting rules as strictly as I would have hoped. For the remainder of the bike, I had to put my head down and ride solo, managing my effort and trying not to get too worked up.
By the time that I entered T2, I was more emotionally and physically exhausted than I had anticipated. I was still hopeful that I could put together a strong 13.1 miles and settled into a steady pace. Going into the race, we planned to build through the run, gradually increasing pace each 5k. At the 5k mark, I realized that the plan wasn't exactly going to match up with the race as it was unfolding! I pushed through the run in a pretty ugly fashion, having to take a walk break with 5k to go. Ouch! While I was disappointed to have run 5-6 minutes slower than I had trained to run, I am proud that I gave the race everything that I had. When I crossed the line, I was completely spent, having given every ounce of energy to finish in 7th place. Julie Dibens, the super-cyclist (and really nice chick), dominated the women's race. She has set the bar really high for next year!
While I may have wanted to finish off the season in a slightly stronger fashion, I had a really great experience in Clearwater with my family, friends and sponsors. I was also overjoyed for the victory for my good friend, Michael Raelert, who ran away from the men's field, posting an incredible 1:09 half-marathon. We had spent the previous 4 weeks together in Clermont and I was able to see how incredibly hard he had trained in the lead-up to the race. It was gratifying to see his hard work pay off and feel that I may have had a very small part in his win, having forced healthy dinners on him!
Thanks to my family and friends for supporting me in Clearwater! The experience was far more fun, having shared it with you. I look forward to returning next year (a top-10 qualifies me for 2010), armed with this year's experience. At the very least, I won't panic when the volunteers try to take my bike from me in T2 next year!
Okay, back to the cookies, coffee and naps...
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